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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

The second time around

There’s a mindset common among even some veteran growers
that the garden is mostly planted in the spring only.It’s a mindset that I started with four years
ago and have been discarding ever since.It didn’t take me long to find that succession planting, particularly
with cabbage crops, was a useful method to keep a steady flow of fresh
vegetables coming in at a rate that I can use.

The
hot weather this summer has given me the opportunity to rethink some old
habits and push the envelope so to speak.For starters I'll talk about the summer squash I grew this year, Cocozelle. The
first healthy plant was from seed planted on May 1. It produced just under five pounds of squash
in June and early July before heat then disease killed it.I seeded another Cocozelle about a foot away
on July 1. Once I pulled up the older plant the new one really took off.This plant started making
squash in mid August and has giving me just over six pounds so far.Last week it started to wilt, then recovered.

This plant may or may not produce more squash.Does it make sense to just succession plant summer squash about
once a month?Most squash will go from
seed to table in less time than a snap bean.Given their susceptibility to the borer, wilt, rust, powdery mildew, etc
etc I think it probably makes sense to look at summer squash as a succession
crop, just one that takes up a lot of space.Beans are another example.I plant patches of beans about three weeks apart where spaces in the
beds open up.After digging up the last
of the potatoes that bed got the last seeding of snap beans for the season.I gave up on pole beans a few
years ago because they attracted hordes of Japanese beetles.This year I’ve seen a few of these beetles
but not many.I wondered if it was too
late to plant some Kentucky Wonder (65 days).Why not?The worst outcome is
that I won’t get any beans in the fall.I
found a packet of Kentucky Wonder at the local lumberyard, at a deep discount
no less.One of the potato cages was
repurposed as a bean tower with the cage suspended on two fence posts about a
foot off the ground.The beans were
seeded on Aug 3.They are now at the top
of the cage and should start flowering any day now.The rest of the bed is planted with Roma II
and Provider.Often we don’t get the
first frost here until November, and I think there’s a good chance I’ll get
some batches of Kentucky Wonder, which in my opinion is better than any bush
bean.

The
last experiment might lead you to think I’m crazy.I lost the spring-seeded winter squash to
disease after five days of 100 degree heat.The butternut was finally pulled up on July 31 and I planted some fall
green manure mix where the squash had been.A few days later I sowed some butternut seeds in the corner of the
bed.It’s been growing quickly and now
has set five small butternuts.If the
plant stays healthy then, yes, I believe I’ll get some butternuts from this
plant.From past experience any fruit
set before mid-September should have time to ripen. We’ll see.

2 comments:

That was brave planting the squash so late in the season - but it looks like it is paying off. Good gamble it would appear.

I definitely could have done succession planting of zucchini but my first plants are still pouring out produce so having more is not something I need. LOL! If I had lost them to SVB or powdery mildew, I would have definitely replanted.

I'm trying a fall planted summer squash and some fall bush beans this year. Both are looking good so far, not ready to harvest anything yet. I will be watching your butternut experiment. If it works in your garden, it should work down here a bit to the south. I would like to try it some late planted delicata squash. I often learn a lot by pushing the envelope!

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About this Blog

I moved to this place in SW Indiana in 2008. The property is six acres of woods, pasture, yard and pond. Usable garden space with full sun is limited by surrounding trees to 250 square feet of raised beds, more the size of an urban garden. I use intensive techniques: rotation of plant families, nutrient cycling, cages and trellises, row cover and cold frames to get the most out of the space.

About Me

A native Hoosier, I worked in the construction trades and later in life got a chemistry degree and worked in a research lab until retirement. I raise vegetables because they taste better and it saves money. What other hobby pays for itself? I'm a cheapskate - I won't buy new seeds until the old ones aren't any good. I'm also a bit of a lazy gardener - if I can buy the seedlings I want then why start the seeds, or if I can engineer a way to make it less work I'll do so. I also drink too much beer. But I never (well almost never) work in the garden and drink beer.